As Brigitte stated, freeze drying is a process. Whole Life products are generally very dry and crumbly and the powder that accumulates at the bottom of the bag is referred to as Kitty Crack and many of us sprinkle it on top of their food. Fresh is Best product holds together much better and has a bit of fat to it. There are other brands as well such as Halo. This stuff can often be found in the dog treat section of a pet store.
My cats have never had a taste for kibble, regardless of the brand. They are also not fond of canned cat food. They do sometimes get a can of people tuna as a treat. I did try whole prey with them (mice, chicks and rabbits - not alive!) but while they loved playing with it, they never grasped the fact that this was supposed to be food.....
The cat digestive track was built for raw meat so bacteria is not as much of an issue as it is for humans. You should not feed them ground chicken or beef from the grocery store as I would not trust that to be contaminate free.
I feed my cats raw meat with supplements to compensate for it not being whole prey. I have the Tasin grinder than can handle bones and I chunk some of the meat as well. They are currently eating quail (favorite), beef, turkey and rabbit. Oddly enough, they do not like raw duck even though it is their favorite freeze dried treat. I add calcium to the beef to compensate for the lack of bone. I freeze them in 6 oz containers for convenience. My cats insist that the meat for dinner is at proper mouse body temperature or they just look confused. I measure the amount into their bowls and then float the bowl in hot (not boiling) water.
